This is a difficult question to answer. However, for you, as a parent, this is a double-edged sword. Determining the best solution for your troubled teen may not always be the easiest one to accept. This is especially true when it comes to sending them to a therapeutic school for teens (or similar programs), even…
Selecting a residential program can be daunting, exciting, scary, nerve-wracking, upsetting, freeing, the list goes on. How do you know if a residential program could be right for you and your teen? What is a Residential Program? Residential programs are live-in facilities that a teen stays at for a specific period of time. The amount…
Those feelings of close, true, trusting relationships between parent and daughter can be rare when you are both working on resolving challenging behaviors. You see the pictures online, the posts about mothers and daughter, of fathers and daughters, sharing something sweet, gentle, encouraging. But your experience isn’t quite like those of the other mothers and…
Interacting with a troubled teen can increase our heart rate, blood pressure and make our breathing rather shallow. This is the way your body reacts to stressful situations. This is called the Fight or Flight response. Your body works to get you ready to react in a stressful or survival situation. Not every conversation will…
With the summer fast approaching, do you have a plan for your teen? Some teens stay home all summer, some get jobs and others look for a variety of programs. With many options available for teens over the summer, consider what your teen is excelling in and what they could use some help with. What…
Teenagers want to feel in control. Teenagers also turn into young adults. To prepare those young adults in the making, independent living skills are incredibly valuable and a great way to hand over some control. When you spend your time dealing with behavioral challenges, teaching your children how to use a plunger seems like an…
Enrolling your teen into a program to address challenging or concerning behaviors comes with many questions and decisions. Locating a program that is right for your teen is key to getting him help. There are many options available including online programs for teens, summer camps, military programs, residential, outpatient, wilderness and therapeutic. You know your…
As a parent, the last thing on your mind is sending your teenager away to a boot camp for behavior issues. Unless of course that teenager is acting out, troubled, and seemingly irrational. The thought of sending your child to a boot camp can be scary but it doesn’t have to be. There are many…
Defiant behavior happens when a person purposely opposes ruling or structure. When a child has defiant behavior, they are most likely opposing the structure a parent or adult has created. Parents often feel this behavior is their fault or they are failing as a parent to create the structure their child needs. This is not…
Spring is nearing, which for school-aged kids means Spring Break is coming up right around the corner. While this much-needed break from school work is a welcome reprieve for kids and parents alike, as teens get older, they want to spend less time with their family vacations, and more time with their friends. If your…